Not Dead Yet
by PhantomShadow1115
Summary: Teiko is hell. That is a lesson that has been ingrained into Aomine since the first week on the basketball team. Teiko cares only for itself, and will not hesitate to do anything to ensure they are #1. Harsh, near-death punishments are not below them, or above. Teiko leaves nothing behind except ruins. And with their current teams, how will the GoM push past their, well, past?
1. Silence Can Be Deafening

The train was stuffed full and the people inside loud and rowdy. They yelled and screamed and reenacted the night's plays, jeering at how pitiful the losing team was. But in a small corner, there sat a young dark-skinned man. His hair was a dark navy blue, and his eyes a cool cobalt. While everyone else on the bus was howling in joy at their victory, this man was sitting alone, frowning at the window. When a handful of the people in the bus noticed his silence, they brushed it off easily, knowing that he was never really happy, so this was surely nothing new. These people were the basketball club of Touou Academy. The dark-skinned man? Aomine Daiki, their ace.

He didn't join in their festivities, despite the fact that he was the reason for their victory. Well, most of the reason, anyways. A little pink-haired girl, whose name was Momoi Satsuki, walked over towards him from the middle of the crowd.

"Dai-chan!" She said, poking Aomine repeatedly, "Aren't you going to celebrate with the senpai-tachi? You guys played well! You should join in!" Aomine's slight frown deepened, and he slapped away her hand lightly.

"Shut up, Satsuki." He grumbled in a low voice, "I don't feel like it." Momoi frowned, because surely anyone would want to celebrate their victory.

"Why not, Dai-chan?" She asked. Though she already knew the answer. Ever since Teiko Middle school, Aomine hated basketball. Well, that's not really an accurate description. He hated what was associated with basketball. He loved the sport in itself, but what he really wanted was to play freely with his friends. But ever since Teiko, basketball came with a little more than just free spirited fun.

"Just… felt too easy." As Aomine struggled to find the right words, his face relaxed into a slightly troubled frown, and his face turned back to the window. It was so much easier to talk about with Kuroko. So, so much easier. "Too much like Teiko." Momoi pursed her lips. She wanted to help, she really did. But she didn't go through the things that Aomine and the rest of the GoM went through. For them, basketball would never be as innocent, as pure.

"Well, Imayoshi-san will get suspicious if you don't at least acknowledge them." Momoi pointed out, now speaking softly, "And I know you don't want them to find out, so you'd better get going." Aomine scowled again. He sighed, seeing that Momoi's logic had a point. Aomine forced himself out of his seat, and towards where his teammates were laughing at a joke or another. Momoi smiled a little, kind of proud that she managed to get him to at least join in, albeit a little reluctantly. But at the same time, Momoi was worried. _Deeply _worried. She knew how horribly the GoM had been treated before. Memories of bloodied bodies, and pained eyes resurfaced.

Momoi quickly pushed away such morbid thoughts. No one needed (nor wanted) to remember such things. It was part of the reason why the GoM split in the first place. One of, no, the _main _reason why Momoi and Kuroko hadn't protested very strongly against their splitting. It had been… a rough third year, to say the least. And Aomine probably had the worst of it.

* * *

**Hey, so, did you like the prologue? Yea? No? Anyways, I don't own KnB, no matter how much I wish to. I own the cover, the design at least, not the actual image (I know, it's a pretty crappy cover). I own pretty much everything else. ****This takes place after the Winter Cup. There are no pairings, because I fucking suck at lemon, smut, and/or smut, even if the next chapter makes you think otherwise. So sorry, if that's what you were after. Though I think you'll enjoy my fanfic either way. If you can't tell already, there will be cussing. **

**This is entirely a work of fiction based on a work of fiction (KnB). Any resemblance of real life people is unintentional, and if I accidentally remake something that is remotely kind of like your life (people, places, experiences, etc. etc.), it is 100% not intended. I will try to keep certain aspects realistic, based on information I have gleaned and my own imagination.**

**This is a fanfiction about Aomine and how Teiko was extremely abusive, and caused a lot of problems in the future. A lot of what happened in the anime happened, but for different reasons. Everything will be explain in good time. (¬‿¬)**


	2. Learning Starts Everyday

**BLERP BLERP BLER-**

Aomine slammed his hand down on his old-fashioned alarm clock, and proceeded to drag himself out of bed. Literally. He quickly found himself resting on the ground, sleep protesting and making his mind foggy, and his limbs stiff and numb. A sort of heaviness dragged him down, making moving nearly impossible.

'_Come on, Daiki, move your ass! Once you get going, moving will be easier, c'mon!'_ Aomine encouraged himself. After much effort, Aomine managed to push and drag himself out of his bedroom and into the bathroom. Shivering from the frigid air, Aomine took a quick shower, relieved himself, and brushed his teeth. It was 7:30 am, and Aomine had errands to run. That Satsuki needed him to run, rather. It was Saturday, and after such a grueling game, Aomine wasn't feeling up to playing just yet.

It usually took a day or two after a match for him to feel up for _looking_ at a basketball, not to mention playing on a court. Aomine quickly got dressed and meandered out the door. There was a sticky note on the front door.

"_Sorry, Daiki. _

_Had an emergency at work. Make yourself food, and don't forget to do your homework. -Mom"_

"Of course. Idiot, what else were you expecting?" Aomine had muttered to himself as he walked out. He was a little disappointed, but reprimanded himself for thinking this morning would be any different than any other. This was nothing new, Aomine's mom was hardly home. His father had died serving the Japanese army. His mom had to step up and try her hand at a factory to provide for the both of them. Aomine tried to be grateful that his mother was doing her best to keep up for the both of them, that's why he went to Touou, they were offering a scholarship, despite not wanting to play basketball. But it's kinda hard to feel grateful for someone you feel like you hardly know.

He slowly walked towards the supermarket. You couldn't tell he was one of the fastest high schoolers in the country at first glance. His bored eyes flickered over sight after sight as he took in the city of Tokyo. The city was rather quiet, despite being the largest city in Japan. The city, at least where Aomine lived, was still asleep. Quiet apartments lined the streets, stacked haphazardly atop restaurants and tiny family shops.

Everything was run down, and quite old. But Aomine welcomed the familiarity. This area of the town had been his sanctuary for what had been Teiko. Though Aomine doesn't really like to think about Teiko. It isn't hard to imagine why, given what he went through. Aomine clucked his tongue quietly. He hated how Teiko had changed him. How fear had forced him to grow up, make sacrifices, and push away the people he loved the most, so they could live to see another day. He remembered how in the worst stretch, Coach-no, Aomine shook his head. He refused to think about how Coach-

"Aomine-kun?" Aomine jumped at the familiar voice, and cursed himself for not paying attention. "What are you doing here?" Standing in front of Aomine was a familiar raven-haired, four-eyed captain.

'_Shit, when did he get here? Not even Tetsu could sneak up on me that well.'_ Aomine thought rapidly,_ 'He'll read my mind, like he always does. No one fucking cares about Teiko, he'll think I'm stupid for being scared my Coach. He doesn't understand. I'll have to play it cool.'_

"Yo, Imayoshi." Aomine growled. In an effort to hide his surprise, his scowl deepened. Imayoshi was not fooled. He knew the ganguro was hiding something. He had seen Aomine's expression before, Imayoshi knew it was something disturbing. But Imayoshi also knew that Aomine would never outright admit it, whatever "it" was, so Imayoshi would weedle it out of Aomine later. Or maybe ask Aomine's old friend, the invisible kid. His name was "Kuroko Tetsuya," right?

"You haven't answered my question." Imayoshi asked again, "What are you doing here? Up so early, no less." For a moment, Aomine fumbled with his answer. He had completely forgotten. Aomine had been so sucked into his thoughts, he had forgotten what the point of his journey was.

"Ah… um… oh yea, Satsuki asked me to get some groceries for her." Aomine replied. Then, a thought struck him. "And… I don't have any money on me." Imayoshi blinked. Aomine winced. How could he be so dumb? How had he forgotten that you need to _pay _for groceries?

"Fufufu, what kind of shopper are you?" Imayoshi chuckled lightly, though internally, he was curious, and a little concerned, "You don't go shopping often, ne?" Aomine rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and didn't meet Imayoshi's eyes. It's not his fault! Aomine rarely has the time, nor the money to go shopping. So usually, since he's pretty good friends with the local owner of the grocery shop, he takes whatever they were going to throw away. It's not like his mom really complained, so long as it was cheap enough to allow them to pay the rent. And Aomine could barely cook anyways, so it the quality of the ingredients didn't matter.

But this was for Momoi, and she didn't want half-rotten fruits and vegetables. Plus, she had given him money last night to go grocery shopping in the morning. Of course, Aomine didn't say any of this. He was too prideful. So he just shrugged and walked on, his hands tucked into his pockets. Although he was more careful of his thoughts. Imayoshi was considered a mind reading genius for a reason.

Pride refused to allow him to turn back. Imayoshi both applauded his resolve, and felt an overwhelming wave of exasperation for it. Nothing would be gained with excessive hubris. Unfortunately, Aomine was an individual with _a lot_ of hubris. Though Imayoshi merely smiled and followed along, knowing it would annoy the hell out of the tanned ace. Though he kept a few feet back, Aomine could hear him splendidly. Every footstep sounds like balloons popping to him. Needless to say, he barely withheld himself from flinching. Especially with scenes from Teiko flashing in the forefront of his mind.

Imayoshi noticed this, and his concern swelled.

"So, what had you so deeply enraptured that you didn't notice me?" Imayoshi asked. It took awhile for Aomine to answer. Not because he had to deeply reflect on his answer, but simply because he couldn't comprehend what Imayoshi was trying to hint at. Literally no one talks like that. How was Aomine supposed to know that Imayoshi was asking for a penny for his thoughts?

"Oh! Er, Teiko." Aomine kept his answer short, in an effort to keep Imayoshi from gleaning off any information. Though it took all of his willpower not to elaborate. He wanted his thoughts out, out of his head and off his chest. Aomine wanted the world to know how treacherous Teiko really was. How scarring. There were no words for Aomine to use that could possibly explain Teiko in a way to fully grasp it. Not in a few sentences, or a few short clauses. You really had to live through it. To experience yourself, firsthand, what it was like. Either that or suffer through a long tale of what they suffered through.

'_Eh? Teiko? But… wasn't that Aomine-kun's middle school? Why would he be thinking about that? Especially nearly a year after?'_ Imayoshi didn't say anything, he kept his questions to himself. _'And why did Aomine look like that?'_ Aomine didn't know this, but when he had been deep in his thoughts of Teiko, Imayoshi noticed that he had looked a little pained, but mostly… empty. Like Aomine was there, but not. It's really hard to explain.

"Teiko? That's the middle school you went to, ne?" Imayoshi expertly hid his increasingly growing concern behind a sly grin and a half-joke, "What were you thinking about, specifically? A busty lady teacher?" _'C'mon, Ahomine-kun. Give me some information here.'_ Aomine tensed at Imayoshi's inquiries, though he quickly schooled his posture. But he overshot it and made his form overly relaxed. Naturally, Imayoshi was not fooled.

"Not really." Aomine mentally shook himself out, and reminded himself of who he was walking with. He forced himself away from Teiko, and unconsciously clenched his fists tightly. Imayoshi "hmm"-ed in acknowledgement. What else could he do? He had enough experience to know that pushing Aomine for information would get him nowhere. Maybe even further from reaching his goal, as Aomine would be on even higher alert.

"Ja, how 'bout I buy the groceries, and you come to study with the starters?" Imayoshi asked, meaning the starters on the Touou basketball team. This way, Imayoshi could get a chance to study Aomine better, and Aomine might _actually_ study. Win-win situation. Aomine, on the other hand, had been getting more and more wary as the conversation continued. But this question completely threw him for a loop.

"To study?" Aomine blurted out before he could properly think about what he was going to say, so now he was fumbling with what else to say, and to sort out his thoughts, "I-I mean, not to practice? Usually you call me because of that, or some shit." Imayoshi raised an eyebrow at him.

"Would you rather for me to nag you to go to practice like Momoi-san?" Imayoshi asked cooly, not letting Aomine reply before moving on, "Anyways, it'll probably be more efficient if you brought up your grades." What Imayoshi didn't say was, "And how would I watch you if we were at basketball practice? We're always moving." Aomine grunted, agreeing, albeit a little begrudgingly. Who wanted that nagging little witch at their heels? Without much to talk about, Imayoshi made some small talk. Grades, some especially surprising quirks of the GoM, life in general, that kind of stuff.

Soon, they reached a sad little shop. It's paint was fading, and the tiny windows had some vegetables on display. The sign over the doorway was on its last legs, though if you tried hard enough, you'd be able to make out, "Biyoshi's Fruit+Vegetable Stand." There was a small awning over the door, though the top was covered with dried leaves and debris. Imayoshi huffed at the piteous little store, or rather, the fact Aomine went to this little fruit and vegetable stand. Was this where Touou's proud and mighty ace went grocery shopping? Aomine heard Imayoshi's huff, but decided to ignore it. Though he could keep his fists from clenching in his jacket pockets. What right did Imayoshi have to judge Biyoshi and his shop?

"_Bring! Bring!" _A tiny bell chimed cheerfully as Aomine gently pulled the door open. The shop was stuffed full. There was lots of fruits and vegetables in crates along the walls and in the center of the room, dried herbs hanging from an herb rack off the ceiling, some odd trinkets and potted plants resting on high wooden shelves, and a musky smell of sawdust mixed with the fresh air from fruits and vegetables. The store was poorly lit, what with a single tiny bulb hanging from the center of the room, giving the feel of some poor farmer's cellar, and sunlight peeked in from a handful of windows around the room, but they were mostly blocked by the items on the wooden shelves, and the windows from the window display.

"Welcome! Welcome!" A middle-aged man cries from behind a distant counter. He has a salt-and-pepper beard, and wrinkles that indicated much smiling. He was short, but muscular. Though he quickly recognised one his most frequent visitors. "Aomine-kun! Good to see you again. It's been a while, ne? I have a full 7 boxes in the back, want to take a look?" Aomine broke into a smile. It _had_ been a while since he'd been here. Biyoshi had been a constant in his life even as Teiko had completely morphed Aomine and everything in his life. A father-figure, really, when his own father had to leave for the war.

"Gomen, I'm afraid to say I can't." Aomine sighed. He _really_ wanted to see what Biyoshi had in the back, but Satsuki would kill him if he dawdled, even at Biyoshi's. "Satsuki wants the groceries today. Maybe in the evening. And in all honesty, I'd rather live to see another day." Biyoshi laughed. What an easy-going man.

* * *

**Hey! Sorry for the sloppy ending to the chapter, or rather, the lack of the ending. I just thought that this chapter was long enough (over 2,000 words!), and that I haven't even finished this chapter, but I still wanted to put some content out, because I kind of left a major cliff-hanger. This is technically not the end of the chapter, but just the first part, and no, this isn't even half. As I said earlier, the entirety of this chapter would have been _way_ too long. Don't worry, I'll give out the rest of the chapter soon.**


	3. Eh, Nothing Happened

[Just a filler chapter, something to send you into the next scene. Nothing super exciting happens, I just needed a way to smoothly go into the next scene, and thus, this useless chapter was born! Plus, some more hints about what happened at Teiko, though I'm sure you can already guess.]

* * *

Imayoshi had stayed polite and not interrupted Aomine and this man, since they were obviously close, but his curiosity could only be held back so much. Aomine seemed so much happier with this man, much more happiness than Imayoshi had ever seen in Aomine before. But perhaps "_happiness_" is not the right word to use. More like… contentedness, satisfaction. Like a lost child collapsing into its parents arms. Maybe that had more felicity. So, before he could catch himself, he cleared his throat. Aomine jumped slightly, and looked at Imayoshi in surprise.

'_Fuck, I totally forgot he was still here! What's wrong with me today?!'_ Aomine cursed Imayoshi wordlessly. Though Imayoshi could easily read his mind. Anybody could, honestly. Aomine's thoughts were splattered all over his face like paint on paper. Thank goodness Aomine had his back to Biyoshi.

"_Maa_~ _maa_~, Aomine-kun, _please_." Imayoshi didn't even try to contain his glee at his kouhai's discomfort and surprise, or smother his satisfied smirk, "_Do_ introduce me to your _friend_ here. I'm afraid I haven't had the _honor_ to catch his _name_." Aomine glared ice and daggers at Imayoshi. It was obvious Imayoshi had something else in mind during the entirety of the time since Imayoshi had run into Aomine on the street, and Aomine didn't have a clue as to what it was. He hated that. He hated how he had no idea what Imayoshi was doing, and why Imayoshi cared. The latter was probably the most confusing.

"Erm, right." Aomine muttered, "Imayoshi, Biyoshi Hiroka, the local grocer. Biyoshi, this is my captain of my basketball team, Imayoshi Shoichi." In all honesty, Imayoshi was impressed that Aomine knew that the word "grocer" existed, and used it properly in a sentence. Imayoshi's smirk grew into a full-out grin.

"Ja, nice to meet you, Biyoshi-san." Imayoshi said, his cool and collected demeanor never once faltering, despite the overwhelming sense of curiosity. Biyoshi couldn't decide whether or not to trust this newcomer. As a store manager, he must treat all customers with fairness and the respect that was expected. But as the man who helped raise Aomine, he couldn't help but feel a little bit fatherly towards the young man, and thus feel a sort of protectiveness that only a father can _truly_ feel. Many say that Biyoshi had never had children of his own, or even a wife, so he could never understand a parent's struggles.

Biyoshi could glean some truth from that. After all, he didn't know the stress of childbirth, or the pride that a man would feel when the love of their life announces that another person, who came from the unity of both the man and his lover, would soon come to this world. Or the love and wonder that made a man's chest swell when he first lays his eyes on his child. But he knew the love that only a father could feel for his child. He knew what it was like to raise a child with the spirit and heart of a thousand suns. To help a struggling and grieving woman with mold and shape her only child. So naturally, Biyoshi felt the suspicion of strangers who wanted to befriend their child like any parent would. Especially since Teiko came careening into Aomine's life.

Aomine and the GoM weren't the only ones who suffered from Teiko. Like Biyoshi, their families had felt utterly helpless. Not only that, they had not even known of Teiko's treachery until months after the whole thing had blown over. Biyoshi clearly remembered how well they had hidden it. Hiding behind well-crafted and neatly thought-out lies, they snuck around and protected the outside world of the horrors of Teiko. Biyoshi had never felt more ashamed. Aomine had protected _him_ because he knew that Biyoshi wouldn't have the power to change anything, and didn't want Biyoshi to ruin himself over something that Biyoshi couldn't even change. Aomine had protected Biyoshi, when Biyoshi _should have_ protected Aomine. Aomine and his friends shouldn't have had to grow up so quickly. So Biyoshi promised himself that he would _never_ let Aomine be oppressed like that again.

"Ah, hello." Biyoshi forced a quick smile, knowing full well that everyone in the dinky little shop knew it was a farce, "Aomine's captain? So, a senpai, ne?" Imayoshi chuckled. He hardly felt like a senpai to anyone, especially to Aomine.

"Ah, I don't know if I'd call myself a senpai to Aomine, he's…" Imayoshi struggled to find the right words. Would Biyoshi mind if Imayoshi was a _bit_ rude? "Er, how should I put this… uncooperative?" That instantly made warning bells whistle through Biyoshi's head. That was what got Aomine so jacked up in Teiko. He had been "uncooperative," so they beat forced "cooperative-ness" into Aomine. Imayoshi noticed the slightly unimpressed expression on Biyoshi's face, and instantly knew he screwed up.

"What I mean is, he doesn't come to practice, he's pretty lazy and disrespectful, and his grades are in the dumps." Imayoshi quickly corrected himself, "And usually skips games, so… But he's our ace, so we usually don't complain. So long as we succeed. Essentially." Imayoshi was still a little concerned that he hadn't truly cleared things up quite right, but those worries were brushed aside when Biyoshi relaxed. Biyoshi could understand where Imayoshi was coming from, he had raised Aomine after all, he was familiar with the boy's apathetic attitude towards pretty much everything.

"Haha, I understand." Biyoshi assured the boys, "Anyways, if Satsuki-chan wants these groceries, then you'd better get them to her _quick_." Imayoshi sighed in relief, though he kept it subtle. He was glad he passed Biyoshi's little pop quiz. Imayoshi hadn't missed how Aomine's eyes shone with admiration and… dare he say it, _love_, whenever his gaze fell upon Biyoshi. That was often, by the way. Every couple of seconds, Aomine's eyes would shift from roaming around the shop, and then flicker back to Biyoshi or Imayoshi.

Imayoshi gestured for Aomine to pick out some things from the shelves while Imayoshi wandered the shop. As Imayoshi had originally noticed, on the high wooden shelves were colored glass bottles, dreamcatchers, porcelain teacups, ribbons, jewelry, shoes, stained glass lamps, notebooks, candles, unlabeled bottles filled with powders and liquids alike, and some other things. Imayoshi even found some gardening tools. There were birdcages, mirrors, hairbrushes, cacti, rubber duckies, pencils, books, and a random assortment of other things, too numerous to truly do the variety and quantity any justice with words.

Aomine wasn't sure if he should take Imayoshi's offer up and pick out whatever he thought Satsuki needed, or if he should be grateful that Imayoshi was offering, and be _very, very_ picky, so to not waste Imayoshi's money. When Aomine had watched this whole encounter, he could tell that both of them were wary of each other, but not outright hostile. The heavy silence in the usually cheerful store proved that. But Aomine could not fathom why Biyoshi was staring Imayoshi down so feverently, and why Imayoshi seemed to be keeping a healthy (or would it be considered unhealthy?) distance from Aomine and Biyoshi.

These weren't exactly the biggest concerns in Aomine's mind, no. Just kind of small observations that stuck out as odd to him, but nothing more than that. Aomine hadn't seen the war that had been narrowly avoided. He had been in such wars himself. Wars of wits, words, and mental struggle, rather than physical. But he was never the best at recognizing the warning symbols of a situation where war was looming just overhead for other people. Maybe for himself against others, but never when he himself was not included.

So Aomine mused over these thoughts, these seemingly meaningless observations, as he picked out radishes, dates, lettuce, dragonfruit, mushrooms, and carrots. He contemplated getting Satsuki more, but he knew that she would attack him for making Imayoshi pay for so much. But it's not like it's much. Biyoshi gives things to Aomine on a discount, and the produce is already cheap. Still high-quality though.

Aomine quickly finished, much to Imayoshi's disappointment. He had wanted to explore the shop more! Aomine brought up the groceries to the front counter, and Imayoshi payed for them. There goes ¥30. The two teenagers quickly left the shop without another word said between them. The air was (almost abserdly) awkward and tense. What was one supposed to say after an encounter like that? Imayoshi and Aomine weren't really the type to start small-talk to elliviate some of the tension, so the uncomfortable silence prickled at their skin, and tickled their noses. It was _suffocating_.

**[Time Skip! Aomine and Imayoshi walked to Momoi's house.]**

Aomine continued walking, but Imayoshi waited a few feet away from the doorway. Momoi's house was close to Aomine's, but in a different neighborhood. Here, everyone had cozy little houses, but an actual house, nonetheless.

"Ding-dong," the bell chirped lively, "Ding-dong."

"Coming, just a second!" Momoi's muffled voice came from inside the house. A few seconds later, the tiny pinkette popped open the door and peeked out.

"Dai-chan, you came!" She cried, very surprised that Aomine _actually_ got groceries for her, "And-o-oh! Imayoshi-senpai, you as well?!" Momoi blushed slightly. She _hated_ being caught calling Aomine "Dai-chan" in front of people who weren't close friends or family. What if they got the wrong idea? How humiliating it would be if one of her friends caught her calling Aomine "Dai-chan." Some people already thought they were together. Momoi _really _didn't need to stroke the flame.

"Maa, ran into Aomine-kun when I was taking a morning walk, and I thought I'd tag along," Imayoshi offered a sly grin to accompany his next words, "Plus, I managed to get him to agree with a joint study group with the rest of the team. Pretty good deal, ne?" Momoi's eyebrows shot upward. How on earth had Imayoshi managed to do that? Did Imayoshi realize how much Momoi had to nag Aomine just to attend class?!

"Wow, I'm impressed, senpai," Momoi literally didn't know what else to say. The words were caught in her throat. Aomine might _actually _do well on this test. Meanwhile, Aomine was both indifferent and annoyed at this encounter. It's not like _not studying_ was his problem. It's just that, tests seemed boring and useless. What's the point in putting effort into them when all you need to do is get a good grade on the exams, like finals, or midterms? Then again, Aomine tended to get bored, and fall asleep during those exams so… maybe their concern is a _teensy_ bit justified. But only that.

"Oi, Satsuki," Aomine grumbled, "Do you want these fruits and vegetables or not?" Momoi frowned. She wanted to hear about what happened!

"Mou~, don't you know it's rude to interrupt people who are talking, Dai-uh, Aomine-kun?" Momoi scolded him lightly, waving her pointer finger at him, "You should practice your manners more! Then people would like you more!" Aomine rolled his eyes. Who was she, his mom?

"Whatever," Aomine passed her the grocery bag, "Sa-"

"Momoi-san, do you mind if we leave?" Imayoshi asked, breaking off whatever Aomine was going to say.

"Leave?" Momoi echoed. She had been very deep in her speculations as to how Imayoshi had managed to get Aomine to study, and with the basketball team, no less.

"O-oh!" Momoi was feeling sillier and sillier by the second, "Yes, yes! of course! Don't feel pinned down by me, go and study! Maybe practice too, Aomine-kun." Aomine snorted. Jeez, wasn't too much to say that he _really_ wasn't up to playing today? In fact, if Aomine could have his way, he'd drop basketball entirely. If he could afford to, actually. Alas, his wallet was not on his side.

"Don't push your luck, woman," Aomine muttered mutinously, "Bad enough I have to study with them. Now I have to practice with them, too?" But Momoi and Imayoshi ignored him. He was Aomine Daiki, being rude and bellicose was completely within his nature.

"Maa, maa, no need to get angsty, Aomine-kun," Imayoshi grinned a particularly infuriating grin at his kōhai, "I'm grateful that you simply blessed us with your presence today, and for studying, no less. No, no, Touou is much too primitive and simpleminded to be graced with your time. I wouldn't never ask for something so outlandish from someone as aweinspiring as you." Aomine scowled at Imayoshi with extreme force. He'd never admit it aloud, but it took a few seconds for him to process what Imayoshi had been saying, his brain hadn't been prepared to untangle the hidden meaning behind Imayoshi's words.

"Urusai," Aomine snarled, his lips peeled back to bare his teeth, "I don't need your shit right now." Imayoshi remained unfased. Though his concern and curiosity was piqued again.

"Hm?" What had Aomine meant by, "right now"? Imayoshi _could _be looking into things very deeply. _Too _deeply, in fact. But Aomine was a man of few words. He tended to say what he needed to, and left what he didn't unsaid. Imayoshi wouldn't go as far as to say that Aomine carefully thinks out his words, and only says what he wants to be said. Far from it. Simply that Aomine does the exact opposite. He says whatever he wants-no, what he _needs _to say, and his subconscious sends a message.

His pride may cause him to mask the true meaning of his words, but if someone looked carefully enough, and really put some thought into it, you'd find that Aomine often says whatever's on his mind, without a second thought. You'll also find his deepest fears and wonders just by listening to him in a conversation. That was something Imayoshi rarely found in people.

"Whatever," Aomine grumbled, "Let's go, Captain Four-eyes." Imayoshi merely smiled, ticking Aomine off even more. Aomine stalked off past Imayoshi, raising his hand as a halfhearted goodbye to Momoi.

"Ja ne, Momoi-san!" Imayosh waved cheerfully. Momoi returned it.

"See you two soon!" Momoi cried out. After they left, she quickly slipped back inside her house. Her heart ached to go chase after Aomine, and walk with him, just like they used to, before Teiko. But, nothing can change the GoM back to how they were, pre-Teiko. When they were young and innocent and naive and pure. Nothing, except for turning back time.

* * *

[Like I said earlier, this is just a filler chapter. I'm glad I made this chapter first though, this transition took over 2,500 words! But without it, the whole fanfiction would feel rushed and really messy. So forgive me! Also, no, this is not a ImayoshixAomine fanfiction. Everything in here is platonic! So, as much as I can relate to you guys, AWAY WITH YOU, FUJOSHIS!]


	4. Stay Healthy, Stay Safe, Stay Calm

Thank you for your indefinite patience, and I sincerely apologize. I'm neglecting my responsibilities as both a writer and a student. I'm currently refusing to do my homework and my other works (for now, but I'll head back to them soon). And I have, like, a month of nothing to do (because of CoV-19 and etc.), so I might be able to get out a couple chapters! Also, stay safe and clean, and don't panic. Honestly, I tried getting toilet paper today and there was none. Anywhere. Nor was there any wipes, paper towels, paper plates, or anything else. Seriously, calm down, people. I get that the media and etc. is making this epidemic sound super scary, like, I get that. But so long as you don't unnecessarily start touching people a lot, share food, or just generally behave not-hygienically, you won't get sick. Even then, young and healthy people get something along the lines of a mild cold. No big deal. And limit your media intake! Only read trusted sources, like that government website (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention I think), and if you do read things on the Internet, take them with a grain of salt. We need to get this message out there, for people not to panic! Please share this information with people. The less panic and mayhem and more order, the better we can slow down the spread and the quicker we can get rid of this virus! Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay calm.


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